2IO ON THE OCCURRENCE OF WESTLETON BEDS 



excellent tea provided at the Saracen's Head Hotel. Mr. E. A. Fitch, the 

 President of the Essex Field Club, took the chair, and Mr. T. V. Holmes, Vice- 

 president of both the Essex Field Club and the Geologists' Association, the vice- 

 chair. After tea Mr. Holmes proposed and Mr. Fitch seconded a vote of thanks 

 to Mr. Monckton, which was cordially responded to ; and Mr. Monckton having 

 returned thanks, the party broke up— some returning by the 7.50 train to London, 

 whilst others, on the invitation of Mr. Durrant, visited the Church and the 

 Mussum. 



ON THE OCCURRENCE OF WESTLETON BEDS 

 IN PART OF NORTH-WESTERN ESSEX. 



By J. FRENCH ; with Remarks by VV. H. DALTON, F.G.S., 

 and H. W. MONCKTON, F.G.S. 



[Read Noz'cmber 7th, iSgi.] 



TI^OR some years my attention has been drawn to certain pebbly 

 gravels used for road metal in the neighbourhood of Stebbing. 

 These gravels are so greatly unlike those excavated in my own 

 neighbourhood (Felstead), that I had made enquiries of Road 

 Surveyors and others ; but, beyond their remarks that they were 

 obviously sea-shingle, no information could be afforded as to their 

 place in the Drift series. On reading in the Essex Natur.\list 

 (vol. iv., pp. 100-102) the summary of Prof. Prestwich's article 

 on the Westleton Beds, I gathered that there was some probability 

 of getting light thrown on these pebbly gravels ; and through the 

 kindness of Mr. W. H. Dalton, I was put in possession of the 

 original text,^ together with some hints and warnings from Mr. 

 Dalton, which have proved very useful in conducting my observa- 

 tions. 



In addition to Prof. Prestwich's article, I find that Mr. S. V. 

 Wood, junr., had previously described a Drift Gravel as earlier and 

 underlying his " Middle " series at Danbury Hill and Tiptree Heath. 

 The Geological Survey Map and Memoir, illustrating Sheet 47, 

 except in one doubtful case, provisionally group all the gravels 

 underlying the Boulder Clay into one series. It will be the object 

 of the present paper to show that in the area observed the series is 

 sometimes divisible into two parts, and also to substantiate in many 

 particulars Prof. Prestwich's observations and inferences. 



The tract of land to which I would direct attention lies between 

 Bulford Station, near Braintree, on the extreme east, and Dunmovv 

 High Wood on the extreme west. Its southern border nearly agrees 



(Juart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xlvi., pp. 84-181 (1890). 



